Subsoil acidity ameroliation trial

Project Start Date: 2014

Project End Date: 2016

Funding: WMG, MIG and Southern Dirt are partners of this project. Funding has been sourced from GRDC, administered by the Liebe Group.

Project Aim: The trial was first set-up in 2013 under the GRDC Western Agribusiness Trial Extension Network. The trial originally was for one year and finished in December 2013. This trial has been extended due to the GRDC “Working together to deliver multiple benefit messages to growers through a whole systems approach to soil management” project with the Liebe Group from 2014 – 2016. This project will contribute to the protection of the natural environment through protecting the soil resource. The soils targeted through this project are at risk of environmental impact through increasing soil acidity and water repellence, both of which can increase the risk of soil erosion.

The trial is to assess one-way ploughing, scarifying, off set discs, deep ripping, mouldboard ploughing and spading for incorporating lime evenly throughout the soil profile as tools to overcome subsoil acidity, water repellence and improve crop productivity on sandplain soils in the northern agricultural region of WA.

The trial is investigating three lime rates: 0, 3 tonnes per hectare (ha) and 5 tonnes per ha. There are eight different tillage practices: control, one-way ploughing, scarifying, off set discs, deep ripping, mouldbaord ploughing and rotary spading.